Tool



Oct. 23, i934. G. E. LOVEKIN 1,978,210

TOOL

Filed May 28', 1951 Patented Oct. 23, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE? TOOL George E. Lovekin, Chicago, Ill. Application May 28, 1931, Serial No. 540,551

8 Claims. (01. 215-400) l My invention relates to tools and includes among its objects and advantages the provision of improved facilities for mounting nipples upon nursing bottles.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tool in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the tool;

Figure 3 is a sectional detail view illustrating v one step in the mounting of the nipple upon a nursing bottle A Figure 4 is a view illustrating a nipple associated with the tool preparatory to maintaining the nip Figure 10. l v

In the embodiment selected to illustrate my invention the tool comprises a piece of wire 10 bent at l2 to provide grip portions 14. The ends of the grip portions are bent at 16 to provide nipple supporting elements 18 alignedv substantially at right angles to the grip portions 14. The extreme ends of the elements 18 are provided with small anti-slip projections 20.

In applying a nipple to a nursing bottle, the elements 18 are inserted in the open end22 of a nipple 24. The grip portions 14 may be pressed together to permit the elements 18 to be inserted in the nipple without distorting the latter, preparatory to receivingthe elements 18. The tool is made from suitable spring wire so that the grip portions 14 will always return to their original shape after being pressed together or spread apart.

After the elements 18 have been inserted in nip- 1 ple, the nipple will be firmly retained thereon at an angle at approximately 45 degrees to the grip portions 14 (see Fig. 4).. The open end of the nipple will be flattened and elongated, as illus-,

trated in Figures 2 and 3, by reason of the spring tension in the tool incident to pressing the grip portions 14 into close relation with each other. At this time one of the grip portions 14 is placed under the bead 26 which is a part of the neck 28 of a nursing bottle. The open end of the nipple is aligned with the edge of the neck 28, as shown in Figure 11 is a plan view of the tool shown'in.

Figure 4. Rotation of the tool in a counter clockwise direction as when viewing Figure 3 causes the grip portion 14 upon the top of the head 26 to pass under the bead, as illustrated in Figure 4. The neck of the bottle is now-partly positioned. Within the open end of the nipple, as illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 4, at which time the nipple may be completely mounted upon the neck by pulling thetool in the direction of the arrow 30- (see Fig. 4). A slight movement of the tool will cause the nipple to be positioned upon the neck-28, as shown in Figure 6. The tool is disassociated from the nipple by moving the tool downwardly upon the bottle.

In addition to functioning as a tool form'ounting nipples upon bottles, my device may be em. ployed in lieu of pincers as when removing the nipples from a sterilizing solution. More important is the fact that the elements18 may be inserted in the open end of a nipple without manually supporting the nipple preparatory to such engagement. The nipple may be completely mounted upon a bottle without touching the nipple with the fingers.

.In Figure '7 I have shown a different form of tool. A piece of Wire 32 is bent at 34 and 36 to provide grip portions 38-and parallel guide members 40. The guide members are formed by bending the ends of the wire back upon itself as at 42 and at 44. The end of the folded portion isbent at 46 to provide nipple supporting elements 48. The nipple'is mounted upon the. elements 48 in the same manner as upon the tool shown in Figure 4. After the nipple has been mounted,-the grip portion 38 isplaced over the neck of the bottle so that the bead 26 will align with the guidemembers 40. The guide members 40 are of sufficient widthto hold the open end of the nipple insuch a manner that the nipple will be completely positioned upon the neck of" the bottle by a single movement in a direction at right. angles to the longitudinalaxis ofthe bottle. The head 26 rides inthe grooves 50 so that the tool will not slip off the head '26 during the mounting process.

A further modification is illustrated in Figures 8 and 9. This tool is shaped from fiat material and is provided with raised portions 52 in connection with nipple supporting elements 54. The raised portions 52 are grooved as at 56 (see Fig. 9 for receiving the bead 26.

I have shaped the grip portion 58 similar to the tool shown in Figure 7, so that the nipple may be positioned upon the neck of the bottle by a single movement of the tool in one direction.

The distance between the guide members 40 and the raised portions 52 is less than the diameter of the bead portion of the bottle so that either of the tools will be frictionally associated with the bottle during the mounting of the nipple. In Figure 8 I have shown the grooves 56 as being flared at 60 for facilitating the entry of the bead.

A further modification is illustrated in Figures 10 and 11. This tool comprises a pair of members 62 which are pivoted together at 64. Each member is provided with a curved portion 66 and a handle 68. The opposite ends of the members are shaped as at '70 to substantially conform to the neck of the bottle and bent to provide nipple retaining elements 72. In operation the handles 66 are spread for moving the opposite ends into close relation with each other, at which time the nipple retaining elements are inserted in the open end of the nipple. Pressure is then applied upon the handles for expanding the nipple and spreading the curved portions 68 suiiiciently far to permit the neck of the bottle to be positioned therebetween. The nipple may how be mounted upon the neck of the bottle by pulling the tool in the direction indicated by the arrow 36 in Figure 4.

Without further elaboration the foregoing will so fully explain my invention that others may, by applying knowledge current at the time of application, readily adapt the same for use under various conditions of service.-

I claim:

1. A tool shaped from a single piece of material to provide spaced apart resilient grip portions, said grip portions being provided with nipple retaining elements extending at right angles to the common plane of the grip portions, said elements being. insertable in the open end of a nipple when the grip portions are flexed in the direction of each other, the tension of said resilient grip portions being sufficient to expand the nipple and support the same at an angle with respect to the grip portions, said grip portions being adapted for frictional assembly with the neck of a nursing bottle whereby the nipple carried by said elements will be mounted upon said neck when the tool is shifted relatively to the bottle.

2. A tool comprising a single piece of flexible material bent to provide spaced apart grip portions, the ends of said grip portions being provided with nipple retaining and dilating means extending at right angles to the common plane of the grip portions, said grip portions being spaced apart a distance greater than the diameter of the neck of a nursing bottle and said dilating means being spaced apart a distance less than the diameter of the neck of the nursing bottle when a nipple is mounted upon said nipple retaining means, said dilating means being grooved for frictionally engaging the neck of the bottle when the latter is positioned between the grip portions and the tool is shifted relatively to the bottle.

3. A nipple applicator comprising a pair of flexible grip portions having their ends shaped to provide nipple retaining means extending laterally with respect to the common plane of the grip portions, said grip portions having guiding means arranged for frictional assembly with the bead on the neck of a nursing bottle, said retaining means being arranged for holding the open end of the nipple in a position for receiving the neck of the nursing bottle when the applicator is shifted relatively to the bottle.

ing a neck provided with a bead, of a nipple applicator comprising a pair of flexible gripportions having their ends shaped to provide nipple retaining means, said retaining means being arranged for holding the open end of the nipple at an angle with respect to the common plane of the grip portions, said ends being provided with guide means arranged for frictional engagement with said bead, said retaining means being arranged for mounting the nipple upon said neck when the applicator is shifted relatively to the same.

5. A nipple applicator comprising a flexible grip portion shaped to freely encircle the neck of a nursing bottle, said grip portion having extensions provided with nipple retaining elements and normally spaced apart a distance greater than the normal diameter of the open end of a nipple, said extensions being arranged for frictionally engaging the neck of the bottle when the end of the latter is positioned within said grip portion and the applicator is shifted relatively to the bottle in a direction substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the bottle, whereby the nipple carried by said retaining means will be mounted upon said neck.

6. A nipple applicator comprising a grip portion shaped to freely receive the neck of a bottle, said grip portion having normally spaced flexible arms having laterally projecting portions adapted to be moved in the direction of each other and inserted in a nipple, said arms having guiding means for receiving the bead upon the neck of the bottle when the grip portion is positioned about the neck and the applicator shifted in a direction substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the bottle, said guiding means eing arranged to lead the beaded end of the neck into the open end of the nipple by continued movement of the applicator in said longitudinal direction, whereby said arms will mount the nipple upon the neck.

'7. A nipple applicator comprising a grip portion having two extensions, said extensions having their ends shaped to provide nipple retaining means, said extensions being arranged to be moved toward and away from each other, said retaining means being arranged for holding the open end of the nipple in a dilated condition, said extensions being arranged for frictionally and the right line guidingly engaging the neck of a bottle, and said retaining means being arranged for holding the open end of the nipple in a position for receiving the neck of a bottle when the applicator is shifted relatively to the same.

8. A nipple applicator comprising two members hinged together, one end of each member being shaped to provide nipple retaining and bottle neck receiving means, said nipple retaining means being spaced from said bottle retaining means, said nipple retaining means being insertable in the open end of a nipple when said members are moved in one direction, movement of the members in the opposite directions causing said arms to move apart and stretch said nipple to firmly connect the latter with said means and to per-- mit the neck of the bottle to be inserted between the arms, said nipple retaining means being arranged to hold the open end of the nipple in a position to receive the neck of the bottle when the applicator is shifted relatively thereto, the material between said nipple retaining means and said bottle receiving means contacting with the bottle during the shifting of the applicator and guiding the same.

GEORGE E. LOVEKIN.

IOU 

